Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 415
South Fayette man charged in multiple ‘street-racing’ incidents, accused of fleeing from police
A South Fayette man has been charged with riot, fleeing from police and other charges in connection with a street-racing incident in Downtown Pittsburgh the night before the Pittsburgh Marathon. Police said Jason Stotlemyer, 32, fled from two attempted traffic stops. Pittsburgh Police were called to the intersection of Liberty...
U.S. says Israel’s use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence incomplete
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Friday that Israel’s use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law, but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes. The administration’s finding of “reasonable” evidence to conclude its ally breached international law in its conduct...
Embattled Westmoreland County register of wills fires office lawyer
Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton on Friday fired the taxpayer-funded lawyer who has represented her courthouse office since 2012. Michael Nestico, who has served as the register’s solicitor since before Hamilton first took office in 2016, was told he was removed from his part-time position in favor...
Gun recovered from Donegal Lake connected to St. Clair woman’s fatal shooting
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that a gun found Friday in Donegal Lake is related to the fatal shooting in December of a St. Clair Township woman. Dive teams from the Greensburg Police Department and Murrysville Medic One discovered the revolver about 70 feet offshore, Medic One Director...
Wilkinsburg annexation failure reflects merger hurdles for Pa.’s 2,560 municipalities
With its 400-odd residents, Rosslyn Farms is one of Allegheny County’s tiniest places. It has its own council and mayor — elected by just 189 people — but other local governments provide police, fire and ambulance services. One day, if the little borough gets tired of going it alone and...
UPMC settles whistleblower case for $38 million
UPMC has agreed to pay $38 million to settle a long-running whistleblower lawsuit filed by former employees that alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act. The parties agreed to settle the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in September but did not finalize the deal until this week, according to...
Pittsburgh police arrest 2nd of 3 suspects in fatal West End stabbing
Pittsburgh police have arrested the second of three suspects in a fatal stabbing in March at an abandoned West End house. Police on Thursday arrested Carlena Wells, 18, in the death of Marc Kovach, 37, who was beaten and stabbed, according to a criminal complaint. His body was then hidden...
Troy Fautanu unfazed by switch to right tackle on 1st day of Steelers rookie minicamp
Troy Fautanu wasn’t sure if he was breaking protocol by revealing the gaffe he made Friday on the first snap of rookie minicamp. Lined up at right tackle, a noteworthy achievement in itself, Fautanu marked his indoctrination to an NFL workout by committing a false start. Nerves admittedly got the...
Fungi enthusiasts turn entrepreneurs with Bounty Beneath Mushrooms in Armstrong County
Fungi-loving friends Michael Zaccano and Nicholas Wadding are growing their specialty mushroom business in Armstrong County. They co-own Bounty Beneath Mushrooms, a gourmet mushroom farm housed above ground on the second floor of a former 1800s-era wool factory in Worthington. Zaccano of Springdale and Wadding of Kittanning met at a...
GAMA Sports Training working on move into new $2.5M facility in Plum
A sports training facility in Plum is growing again. Joe Fischetti hopes to move his family business, GAMA Sports Training, into a 27,000-square-foot home in September. The new building would be at the end of Sheena Drive, a dead-end road off Davidson Road, where GAMA currently is housed in a...
Galley Group takes over Mindful Brewing Company in Castle Shannon
Mindful Brewing Company in Castle Shannon will soon have a new name: Chimera Brewing. Galley Group announced on Mindful Brewing’s Facebook page Friday that it is the new owner of the brewing company located on Library Road. The Facebook post garnered more than 370 likes and hearts within the first...
Prantl’s purchases Lincoln Bakery in Bellevue
Joe Porco recalled an anniversary party to celebrate Lincoln Bakery’s 65th year in business — more than 700 customers lined up along Lincoln Avenue in Bellevue. “A bakery is about community,” Porco said on Wednesday as he reflected on the sale of the bakery after nearly eight decades in business....
Mother-daughter bond encircled with permanent jewelry
When Kim Francese looks at the shiny bracelets around her wrist, she immediately thinks of her daughter Abby. They have matching accessories on their arms every day — keeping them connected when they are apart. This jewelry is permanent, just like their mother- daughter bond. Jewelers measure a customer’s wrist...
Fire destroys Avalon home, damages others
A fire destroyed one home and badly damaged several others Friday morning in Avalon. “It was a very hard fire,” said Avalon Volunteer Fire Company Chief Dave Meyer. The blaze was reported about 5:30 a.m. in the 200 block of McKinley Avenue. A lack of water pressure presented a challenge,...
Solution to Oakmont flooding years in the making for some residents
Anne Alcorn loves her neighbors, her 7-year-old son’s school and the safety of the Oakmont Commons. There’s only one thing she’d change about her home. The flooding. Since moving there in 2016, Alcorn, 38, has had an issue with her backyard flooding during rainstorms. On multiple occasions, water has come...
Records: Former Greensburg cop received $5K pension payment on day she pleaded guilty to drug charges
Retired Greensburg police Officer Regina McAtee collected a $5,160 pension payment the day she pleaded guilty in federal court to engaging in a methamphetamine distribution operation with the former city police chief. McAtee, 51, of New Kensington has received about $51,400 in pension payments from the city since Aug. 1,...
John Fetterman slams Biden over threat to withhold some arms supplies to Israel, calling it ‘deeply disappointing’
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman called President Joe Biden’s threat to withhold military aid to Israel “deeply disappointing,” the latest criticism he has levied at the president over his handling of the war in Gaza. On Wednesday, Biden announced on CNN that he would halt some shipments of bombs and artillery...
Jeannette residents, officials hear report on plans to demolish former Fort Pitt Brewery
The impending demolition of the former Fort Pitt Brewery in West Jeannette will be bittersweet for Colleen Ott. She’s wistful because of memories she has of hitting tennis balls off a wall at the complex decades ago with her siblings. But she’s also happy because she and her husband, Chris,...
Convicted murderer was last person to see Pittsburgh area woman missing from Dauphin County
A convicted murderer was the last person to see a Pittsburgh area woman who vanished from Dauphin County and who is believed to be dead, court records show. Anthony E. Proctor, 59, also was caught on camera using her state benefits card at a warehouse store in mid-February, one week...
Pennsylvania to ban cellphone use while driving and require police to collect traffic stop data
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will join the majority of states that ban motorists from handling a cellphone for almost any purpose while driving, as backers of the legislation hope to reduce distracted driving accidents and deaths after nearly two decades of pressing the measure. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office said Thursday that...
Removal options vary for embattled Westmoreland register of wills
Efforts to remove Westmoreland County Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton from office could come down to three words: “Misbehavior in office.” Duquesne University School of Law Professor Bruce Ledewitz said judges could make that finding as part of a sentence imposed next month for contempt of court that allows...
Islamic center eyes purchase of former Holy Family church in East Deer
A potential buyer for the shuttered Holy Family Church in East Deer appears to be another religious organization. Alfatimiah of Pittsburgh, a group that describes itself as operating “under the teachings of Islam,” is eyeing the site at 787 Freeport Road, according to East Deer officials. However, the group will...
Some residents shocked by news of potential closing of Stewart Elementary
Sharon Nealer’s jaw dropped Thursday when she heard the news that Stewart Elementary School in Lower Burrell might close. “I’m shocked. I think it looks perfect the way it is,” said Nealer, who was shopping along Leechburg Road just a few blocks from the school. Burrell School District officials have...
Shapiro announces investment in Hempfield site, touts proposed program expansion
As he looked over a former mining and industrial site in the Bovard section of Hempfield, Gov. Josh Shapiro saw much more than just a faded field. “I see real possibility in this dirt, and in this old slab of concrete,” Shapiro said Thursday. “There is real promise in this...
Amazon gives inside look of distribution warehouse in North VersaillesVideo
Walking into Amazon’s 140,000-square-foot distribution center in North Versailles on Thursday was a bit of a “full-circle” moment for Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis. “When I was growing up, we had the Eastland Mall here, which was a leader in its time,” said Davis, a native of nearby McKeesport. “It...
